The Dallas Music Office has launched Creatives Care Dallas, a new program intended to make affordable preventive health care and mental wellness resources available for the creative community of Dallas County.
Membership in the program is open to any creative professional living in Dallas County who receives IRS 1099 forms for freelance, contract work, or project-based income. Participants can enroll whether or not they currently have health insurance coverage.
According to a press release, Creatives Care Dallas was built to support gig-based artists, musicians, filmmakers, freelancers, and others whose careers often fall outside traditional employer insurance models.
Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, Director of Cultural Tourism and the Dallas Music Office, said, “Our creative workforce is the heartbeat of Dallas’ cultural identity. The arts are a powerful economic engine, and it’s our responsibility to support the people who keep that engine running.”
The program costs $65 per month, which provides access to comprehensive virtual primary care, 24/7 urgent telemedicine, behavioral health services, $0 co-pay prescriptions, and 15% to 50% discounts on dental, vision, and medical procedures.
Up to five people can be covered under a single membership, not limited to immediate family: according to the Creatives Care Dallas website, one membership covers “your crew — family, bandmates, or the friends who feel like both.”
Byron Sanders, CEO of program partner Arete Health that will manage enrollment, billing, and care, said, “Creatives Care Dallas is exactly the kind of bold step we need to reimagine what access to care looks like,” and called it “revolutionary access.”
The program originated following the 2019 death of Dallas poet Rage Almighty — described in the press release as a “wake-up call” for Mr. Sanders. “If our city’s creatives…can’t access basic care, then the system is failing them.” Ms. Kirkenaer-Hart and Mr. Sanders worked together to establish Creatives Care Dallas, which was “built to change that reality, ensuring artists never have to choose between their health and their calling.”
Each year, a designated arts community nonprofit will benefit from proceeds from Creatives Care Dallas. The 2026 beneficiary is Amplified Minds, a Dallas-based mental health organization offering free individual therapy, LGBTQIA+ support, and group counseling for adults 18 and older.
For more information and to enroll, visit the Creatives Care Dallas website.